Swim-Float-Swim

 

It’s that time of the year again! Spring means it’s time for {drum roll please} swim lessons!

Last year Emma Vance took lessons with Infant Swim Resource and loved it. Since E.V. was only 11 months old when we started, she learned how to float on her back as a preventative measure in case she ever accidentally falls into a body of water. Even at such a young age, it was amazing to see that by the end of her lessons, she was like a fish in the water! It gave us peace of mind knowing that she’d have a fighting chance in case she ever was in a potential drowning situation, making the time commitment worth it, since ISR lessons are every weekday for a month. However, our little lady loves the water so much, it was never a question of whether or not we’d be back this year. Thankfully her lessons are held at a private residence only a few miles from Amityville, making our participation possible (especially with a newborn to drag along!).

Since today was Day One, it was strange to think how much has changed in just a year; at our first lesson last year, we thought we were on the verge of leaving Amityville (Yeah, right!); Cricket was just an idea for the “near future;” and Emma Vance couldn’t even walk! To say that our lives are completely different this time around is an understatement. (Thankfully “different” is “good-different” in this case.) I love having these milestones to look back year-to-year and reflect on life’s journey!

This year E.V. will learn to swim-float-swim, another drowning-prevention method that has the benefit of actually teaching her to swim as well as survive. Today started with a few dunks (that she was not happy about) and learning to reach for the edge of the pool. It was hard to listen to her whimper, say “no,” and eventually sign and say, “All done!” (That last one made us laugh!) However, I know it’s worth it in the end; crying is better than drowning, right? She was so exhausted when her lesson was over that she just laid on the side of the pool like a rag doll…until she was offered a lollipop. At the mere mention of sugar, all of the hardship endured in the pool was forgotten. ;) Ryan and I walked away talking about how hard seeing her upset had been — and then the little girl whose lesson was after E.V.’s got into the pool, which we only knew because we heard the screaming. Oh, the screaming! You would’ve thought the poor kid was being tortured. It was hard for us to listen to, so I can’t imagine the anxiety that poor mom endured! I just wanted to run back, hug her and tell her it was going to be okay! We didn’t stick around long enough to see if a lollipop erased that poor kid’s tears, but I’m pretty sure that she would’ve needed a whole bouquet of lollipops to recover — and that the instructor probably needed a strong margarita to recover as well, haha! The good news is that regardless of how much E.V. does or doesn’t cry throughout the next month, I know it’ll be worth it to see our tiny two-year old swimming come the end of May! Yay!